Homecoming party for Sheffield duo Ophelia

Jon Ball

A Sheffield musical duo are hoping to whip up a storm with their debut release.

Ophelia is the natural result of singer-songwriters Samuel Taylor and Rebecca Van Cleave deciding to take their relationship one step further and make music together,.

The band was born on the road as they started writing songs such as Whip of the Wheel while embarking on a transatlantic tour of their respective solo projects.

Once back home in Sheffield city centre, the couple set about making a record with David Glover from the Steel City’s Tesla Studios.

And they are now on the road promoting their first five-track EP, ahead of the release of their debut album later this year.

Sam says: “Rebecca and I grew up listening to a lot of music from the 60s and 70s. Bands like Fleetwood Mac, Blondie, Creedence, Tom Petty, Lennon, Bowie. We both felt like these bands and musicians moulded us as artists and we wanted to honour that by keeping the instrumentation on the tracks raw and organic.”

Rebecca, an actress best known for her role as Lena Heady’s body double in Game of Thrones and as the lead in The Prey – only released her debut EP in September 2015, but has quickly progressed down the road of music with her recordings receiving airplay from BBC Introducing.

Talking about Ophelia’s album, she says: “Making it was a really beautiful process. We knew we wanted to take this record down a different path than our solo projects – to make it more rocky, edgy, and we spent a lot of time with the tracks really exploring where they could go.

“It hits you in the heart. I’m really proud of what we’ve created together.

“It’s pretty special, getting to work with your best friend.

It’s pretty special, getting to work with your best friend.

Rebecca Van Cleave, one half of Ophelia

“Making music together just came so naturally. Getting to record and travel and tour with someone who can finish your sentences and make you laugh, who else would you want to be on the road with?”